


Earth and Stars

by CatrinaSL



Series: 100 Ways to Say I Love You [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 100 ways to say i love you, Assistant Darcy Lewis, Best Friends, Female Friendship, Female Relationships, Friendship, Gen, Jane Foster & Darcy Lewis Friendship, Minor Jane Foster/Thor, Platonic Relationships, Women Being Awesome, Women Supporting Women
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 19:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 4,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13934151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatrinaSL/pseuds/CatrinaSL
Summary: Jane and Darcy take on the Earth and the stars. Together.





	1. Just Because

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's entirely possible that Jane is a bad friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 24\. “Just because.”

Jane didn’t have time for much of anything aside from science after Thor left. No time for acquaintances. No time for friendship. No time for romance. What was the point, anyway? Everyone abandoned her in the end.

Everyone except Darcy.

She kept track of the Avengers’ doings. She called Erik every Thursday at 10:15 am. And she Skyped with Ian nightly.

Or at least Jane thought it was nightly. Most evenings when she transitioned from in the lab to outside with her telescope, Darcy was laughing in front of her computer at something Ian had said. But as she gazed past Venus, Jane tried to remember the last couple of days… Darcy had been curled up on the couch reading the night before, and the day before that, hadn’t she gone grocery shopping?

Jane stood and frowned. It was very possible that she was a bad friend.

Darcy stepped out on the patio and set a steaming cup of coffee on the table next to Jane.

“Hey,” Jane said. She picked up the coffee and took a sip. “I thought I was only allowed decaf after 3 pm.”

Darcy shrugged and fell into a lawn chair nearby.

“Well, thanks anyway. Any special occasion?”

Darcy shook her head. “Just because,” she said.

Jane tried not to look suspicious as she replaced the coffee on the table and went back to her telescope. “You talk to Erik this morning?” she asked.

“Yeah, he said he was going to send you a thing he’s been working on. I didn’t recognize most of the words he said, but I figured you would, so you should probably check your email someday.”

“Like tonight?” Jane asked, adjusting the telescope, then pausing to jot down some notes. “Is that why you gave me coffee? You’re giving me permission to pull an all-nighter?”

Darcy shifted in her chair. “Do what you want; you’re a grownup.”

“Am… I in trouble?” Jane wanted to know.

Darcy sighed. “Sorry, I’m being a jerk. Remember that conference Ian was going to attend about a month ago? The one where he was gonna be too busy to Skype with me?”

Jane blanked.

“It’s okay;” Darcy waved a hand. “Anyway, we didn’t talk for like four days and then last week he was MIA for like two days and finally when I talked to him on Thursday, he was like, ‘I think we should see other people and also I cheated on you last month at that conference.’”

_I **am** a bad friend. _

Sighing, Jane abandoned her science and her coffee and squeezed onto the lawn chair with Darcy.

After a moment of annoyed silence, Darcy grumbled, “I thought I was only allowed cuddles between the hours of four and eight pm on alternate Wednesdays.”

Jane shrugged. “This is just because.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/172254929388/just-because)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	2. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Jane is definitely a bad friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 26\. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

"You  _ what _ ?!"

Jane sighed. She knew she'd either get this reaction or a 'thank god we're outta here.'

"I told Erik I'd visit him after my next lecture series," she repeated. "It'll only be for a little while..."

"I've got a lot going on here, Jane. You didn't even ask me."

"I did, actually," Jane said, sighing again. "Last week. You said, and I quote, 'All I'm doing here is Instagram stalking the cutest dog ever.'"

"He's a really cute dog," Darcy told her with a pout.

"Pretty sure you can access Instagram anywhere," Jane argued.

Darcy huffed and crossed her arms. "You asked me if I was bored, not if I wanted to move across the world.  _ Again _ ."

"It's just a visit—" she began.

"Oh please," Darcy interrupted. "You know once we get there you're going to want to stay. Erik talks about it like it's Science!Heaven on Science!Earth. I'll be demoted to general coffee grunt instead of just  _ your _ coffee grunt. And that's if they decide I'm even worth keeping."

Jane stared at her. She hadn't thought about it that way.

"I'm sorry," she heard herself say as she tried but failed to think of a better apology. "I didn't mean to."

Darcy just sat there, her arms crossed.

"Look,  _ if _ we stay, and I'm not saying we are, I'll make sure they know you're  _ my _ assistant. I can negotiate it so you aren't even on their payroll. I'll pay you myself."

"No, don't do that," Darcy said, suddenly sitting up. "Have you checked out the insane benefits that Stark Industries has? I could get new glasses!"

This 180° had Jane slightly dizzy. "Huh?"

"I don't  _ mind _ schlepping coffee for everybody, I just don't want them to tell me that I  _ can't _ spend most of my time schlepping yours. Just... lemme negotiate, I'll get everything set up the way it should be, so you still have your independence, and still have me.  _ And _ we get paid."

"That... uh..." Jane blinked and collected her thoughts. "So you  _ do _ want to move to New York?"

Darcy put on a fake surprised face. "Oh, Jane, what a great idea, I'm so glad you decided to discuss it with me first!" she declared sarcastically. "Yes, there are lots of upsides to moving to science-land, such as money and dental care. But there are downsides, too."

Jane frowned. "Such as?"

"We have to pack."

"Well, that's—"

"Something  _ I _ have to do, yes," Darcy interrupted, finishing Jane's thought.

Jane scowled. "Okay, I didn't think this through. But I did say I was sorry."

Darcy laughed. "I know. It's all right. I just... wanted you to realize all the implications. We're already packed for the lecture tour, so at least we don't have to worry about that. Get back to science; I've got this."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said, waving Jane back toward her telescope. "I'm sure Stark's got some guys who specialize in moving delicate equipment, and it's not like we have tons of stuff here. Either way, I'll take care of it. It's my job."

"Darcy?" Jane called, when she was halfway back to her work station.

"Mmm?" Darcy replied, already scrolling through her phone for important moving contacts.

"You're the best."

Darcy grinned. "Damn right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/172358362358/changes)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	3. Style Powers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy plans to use her style powers for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 32\. “It looks good on you.”

"Ta daa!" Darcy sang as she danced into the living area of the two bedroom apartment that she and Jane had been given (rent free!).

Jane paused in her reread of yesterday's notes to look at her.

Darcy grinned expectantly, as though there was something Jane was supposed to notice.

"Uh... you look nice today?" she attempted.

Darcy deflated immediately. "It's my first day of ‘school!’ I finally picked out my outfit!"

"Well, okay," Jane said, trying for some enthusiasm. "You look... the same! The same sort of thing you usually wear! It works for you!"

Darcy didn't look as pleased as Jane hoped, but she regained a little excitement. "You're right about one thing:" she began, "it  _ is _ the same. It's the same outfit I had on the day Thor crashed in New Mexico."

"Is that—" Jane started to ask, with a confused look.

"It's equal parts power play (because I'm bros with an Avenger), warm, and snuggly comfort. Plus it has the added bonus of not distracting any lab monkeys who would otherwise waste their whole day staring at my amazing rack."

"So an ideal first day at work for the actual Avengers outfit, then," Jane concluded. Darcy grinned her agreement, which made Jane smile. "It looks good on you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/172524810383/style-powers)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	4. Platonic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy doesn't want Jane to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 39\. “Don’t cry.”

"Oh, god, no. Jane. Don't cry," Darcy dropped the muffins and coffee she'd brought onto the lab bench and tugged Jane's rolling chair toward her so she could hug Jane to her chest.

"I'm not crying," Jane denied, shoving tears away in the least covert way possible. The sleeves of her lab coat were soaked.

"Of course you're not," Darcy told her. "You have science. And coffee." She fetched a paper cup and set it next to Jane. "And me! No need to cry."

"Right," Jane agreed, her voice shaky. "Thanks, Darcy."

Darcy nodded, keeping an eye on her boss as she got back to work, a concerned look on her face.

* * *

Darcy cut out early that day, and when Jane got back to their apartment that evening, there was a lovely dinner spread out on her usually cluttered dining room table, complete with wine and candles.

"What...?" Jane wondered, and Darcy walked out of the kitchen with a plate of garlic bread.

"Aw, you're here," Darcy whined. "I wanted to get everything on the table before you came home."

"What is this?" Jane asked.

"You can't tell? It's a platonic candlelit dinner," Darcy said. "I've got spaghetti and meatballs waiting in the kitchen; BRB."

"A 'platonic candlelit dinner?'" Jane repeated when Darcy returned with the main course.

"Yeah. We don't have to hold hands or anything. I mean, unless you want to."

"Uh, I—" Jane began, mostly flabbergasted.

"I just think you deserve it. Somebody should spoil you. And I wanted to apologize."

Jane frowned. "For what?"

"For this afternoon," Darcy told her. "I don't want you to think that I stopped you from crying because I was uncomfortable; I will be your shoulder to cry on whenever you need it. I just... you're awesome, Jane. Good things should happen to you, not bad things. You shouldn't have things in your life that make you cry. You don't deserve that."

"Oh," Jane replied, slightly teary, but in a different way than she had been earlier that day.

"You can cry if you want," Darcy said. "I just wanted to brighten your evening, so... so you wouldn't have to, you know?"

Jane walked over and hugged her. "I'm so lucky to have you," she told Darcy.

"So does that mean you forgive me?" Darcy asked.

Jane stepped away and smiled. "Only if you'll platonically hold hands with me later," she said.

Darcy grinned. "You got it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/172762353998/platonic)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	5. NBD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy makes sure that Jane has the best birthday ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 61\. “I’ll pick it up after work.”

"Yes, fine, okay," Darcy said into her phone, setting down the drink carrier full of coffee before she was mobbed by lab assistants. "I'll pick it up after work. Yes, whatever, goodbye." She rolled her eyes and hung up, then separated two of Erik's assistants who were fighting over a bagel. "Get off; there's plenty for everyone! For the love of god, I thought you were scientists, not ravenous  _ wolves _ ."

Jane waited until the pack broke up and got back to work before she approached. "What are you picking up?" she asked, as Darcy pushed a venti latte toward her and tore one of the remaining bagels in half for them to share.

"Huh? Oh, uh, nothing. Well, okay, something, but it doesn't really matter. NBD. Science! What is the science doing today?"

Jane saw through Darcy's completely obvious attempt at misdirection, but went ahead and let herself be distracted anyway. After all, science! And she'd probably find out sooner or later.

It turned out to be about halfway between sooner and later, but honestly Jane had almost completely forgotten. She missed it when Darcy ducked out near the end of the day, and thought nothing of it when a text from her directed Jane to the common room for dinner instead of their apartment because Tony was ordering $600 worth of takeout for the team again.

She didn't remember until she saw candles burning on the ice cream cake decorated like the Milky Way, and heard everyone shouting, "SURPRISE!!"

"'NBD,' huh?" Jane asked when Darcy delivered her a star-spangled piece of cake.

"Hey, the fuss was Tony's idea. I was gonna make cupcakes and do the 'one candle' thing while I sang. Off key."

"That sounds nice," Jane said.

"We could still split," Darcy whispered. "I mean, we're probably good for as long as Tony's occupied." They looked over to see him trying to convince Steve to bend down far enough to allow Tony to bestow a ridiculous party hat.

Jane looked down at the cake, then around the room at the people who had been invited. Most of them only knew her has "Thor's girlfriend" instead of... how had Darcy put it last week? "Doctor Jane Foster, Intergalactic Badass."

She nodded. "Let's go."

Darcy winked at her, then turned toward the windows and gasped dramatically. "Oh my god, is that a  _ tank _ ?! Where did it come from?! And where's War Machine when we need him?!"

In the ensuing mini-chaos, Jane and her cake ducked into a side hallway. Darcy caught up to her later, still laughing. 

"Rhodey was suited up and had been flying around looking for the threat for like five minutes before they could convince him there was nothing," she reported, gasping for breath between bouts of laughter.

"Best birthday ever," Jane declared.

"Really? I didn't ruin it by letting Tony take over?"

Jane smiled and held out the candle she'd dug out of a drawer in the kitchen. "No way," she said, and stuck the candle on top of the cake. "Now, I believe I was promised singing..."

Darcy grinned. "Be careful what you wish for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/173482839163/nbd)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	6. Surviving Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane might be far away from Thor, but at least Darcy is close by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 66\. “Stay over.”

Darcy tossed her phone on her bed. "Okay, so, Erik was talking really fast, maybe about an interdimensional portal or something, but I didn't understand half of it, so I figure you guys can just Astrophys-it-up when we get back. Cool?"

"Huh?" Jane turned from the piece of paper she'd been paying attention to and looked up at Darcy in confusion.

"Erik said science things," Darcy explained slowly. "Darcy didn't understand them, so Jane will have to wait to science until Darcy and Jane get back to America."

"Oh, all right."

Darcy frowned at the paper as Jane cast it aside. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Jane said.

"What's that?"

"Oh, it's, uh, a letter from Thor. Erik gave it to me before we left. I guess he wanted Erik to give it to me if he wasn't going to be back for, uh..." Jane frowned.

Darcy connected the dots. "Ooh, Banishment Day is coming up, huh?"

Jane laughed. "I think he'd prefer 'the day we met,' but yeah."

"Is he still busy being  _ Space Important _ ™, then?" Darcy asked, plopping down on Jane's bed.

"I guess so."

"That sucks."

Jane sighed. "Yeah, it does. Kinda hard to have a relationship when both of us are gone so much."

"Long distance relationships are hard," Darcy agreed. "Some people can’t take it, but you and Thor are people who can, so that’s pretty awesome. Me, on the other hand, I always try to give love a chance, but it never works out. For instance, the whole Ian thing, plus my first year of college—"

"I've heard the story," Jane interrupted with a laugh. "The guy who worked at the bakery proposed to you at first sight, but you had to get back home to the boy you'd left behind, who immediately broke up with you because he'd been cheating on you the entire time you were gone."

"I should have stayed!" Darcy declared, while Jane laughed. "I could have been blissfully happy as Mrs. Giacomo with four beautiful Italian babies! I could have been eating delicious bread all day!"

"You didn't even know his last name," Jane managed to say, between peals of laughter.

"True," Darcy allowed, "and he wasn't much to look at, but  _ oh my god _ that bread was  _ so good _ ."

Jane's mirth wound down, and she smiled at Darcy. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For always being there to make me laugh when I need it."

Darcy smiled. "You're welcome. Now, let's do lights out so that in six hours we can roll out of bed and onto an airplane. Erik's got some science to distract you with when we get back."

Jane nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Darcy stood and reached for the light.

"Hey, Darcy?"

Darcy paused. "Yeah?"

"Stay over?" Jane patted the bed next to her.

"But I have a queen size of my very own right th—" Darcy began.

"I know," Jane interrupted. "But... I just don't feel like being alone."

Darcy glanced at her, but instead of pointing out that there was no way that could happen because she would be fewer than ten feet away, she turned off the light and flopped down next to Jane.

"Fine," she said into the darkness. "But no copping any feels; I'm saving myself for Giacomo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/173642881638/surviving-distance)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	7. Compromise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane would rather stay up and work, no matter what Darcy says about her sleep schedule. But when she promises coffee, Jane decides to meet her halfway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 72\. “I’ll meet you halfway.”

"Come on, Jane. It's been twenty hours. You don't have a deadline for this. You should take care of yourself; you can't do science if you're in an exhaustion-induced coma."

"I'm almost there," Jane said, for the fourth time. "A few more minutes, and I've got it."

"That's what you said five hours ago," Darcy reminded her. "How are you still going, anyway? I cut your coffee intake off at midnight."

"Drank Erik's," Jane reported as she scribbled furiously in her notebook.

"Ew." Darcy wrinkled her nose. "Okay, I'll meet you halfway. You keep working while I scour the lab for abandoned caffeine, and then you go to bed. If you sleep for six hours you can get up and work, but no coffee for you. If you sleep for eight or more, coffee galore."

Jane put down her pen and rubbed her eyes. "Really?"

Darcy nodded. "Yeah. Scout's honor."

"In that case, don't forget to re-hide Garza's stash of frappucino. Last time you hid it behind the toner in the copy room, and Erik and I found it about an hour after you went to bed."

"Jane Jacqueline Foster!" Darcy declared, shocked at her behavior (both at the frapp raid and the confession of it).

"That's not my middle name," Jane told her.

"Well... finish up, because when I'm done with this, you're going to your room, young lady."

Jane laughed and turned back to her notebook. It looked like she could probably pause where she was, as long as she left herself a note about where to pick back up.

By the time Darcy stomped back into the lab, huffing and puffing, she was finished. Jane took one look at her and could tell she'd hidden the goods under the sink in the break room, behind the paper towels.

"Bedtime," Darcy ordered.

Jane smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/173832056653/compromise)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	8. Week of Thursdays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane returns from a week of Thursdays, ready to get back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 75\. “I was just thinking about you.”

"Oh, hey," Darcy said, pulling an earbud out. "I was just thinking about you. I didn't realize you guys were back already! How was your Week of Thursdays?"

"It was okay," Jane sighed, plopping her notebook onto the lab bench.

"'Okay'?" Darcy echoed. "You got to spend a week on the beach with a  _ god _ . How was that just 'okay'?"

"It  _ was _ wonderful," Jane admitted. "I just wish..."

Darcy looked interested but said nothing, waiting for Jane to finish.

"One night we went for a walk after dinner, you know? And I decided that I wanted it to be just us, no science, so I left my notebook at the bungalow, right?"

Darcy gasped in surprise and foreboding.

"It's fine, it's right here," Jane reminded her, gesturing at the precious notebook. "It was just a really great night for 'gazing, and Thor is always good about talking through the way things work on Asgard with me if I have any questions, and I just wish I'd brought it along."

"Okay," Darcy allowed. "That's sigh-worthy. But I will point out that it probably doesn't have as much sand in it as it would have if you'd taken it with you. Remember last time when you guys went to Tunisia and it got left behind when you stopped to make out? This way when I go to transcribe your notes, I won't find any stowaway hermit crabs or anything."

"I guess that's true," Jane said with a blush. "Thanks, Darcy."

"Right, so let's try that again:" Darcy insisted. "How was your Week of Thursdays?"

"It was amazing," Jane told her, then pushed the notebook in Darcy's direction. "But it's time to get back to work."

Darcy saluted, picking the notebook up and dislodging some unintentional souvenir sand. "Let's do this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/173928540063/week-of-thursdays)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	9. Bossy Backup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy is always there to back Jane up. Especially when that backup includes bossing other people around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 83\. “Stay there. I’m coming to get you.”

Jane pulled the van up to the loading dock. There were people scurrying around, but none of them paid her any attention.

She was tired, and didn't want to unload the whole vehicle herself, and besides, there was nothing to load it  _ onto _ . Carrying the delicate scientific equipment she'd driven three states away to procure didn't seem like a good idea, especially in her slightly exhausted state.

There were people nearby she  _ could _ have flagged down, asserted her dominance over, and ordered around, but she didn't enjoy that kind of thing as much as some.

So she got out her phone. "I need someone bossy to make my life easier," she told it.

Darcy's laugh echoed out of it. "You got it," she said. "Stay right there. I'm coming to get you."

Jane slumped against the van to wait. It was good to know that Darcy had her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/174179631643/bossy-backup)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	10. Aversion Efforts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane believes in Darcy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 94\. “You can do it.”

"It's been a  _ month _ since Lagos, Jane. A month. I have no idea how they wrote them in that time, much less passed them. It's probably gonna take me that long to  _ read _ them!" 

Darcy paced back and forth in Jane's lab, waving her arms around. Erik was passed out after an all-nighter (and all-dayer); she kept her voice down so she wouldn't wake him.

"And you know it's just Ross being an entire bag of dicks. I'm like seventy-five percent Team Cap and ten percent Team Tony."

"What's the other fifteen percent?" Jane wanted to know.

"Team Darcy," she replied. "Team Calm TF Down and Actually Listen to Each Other For the Love of God."

Jane laughed and Erik startled, then let out a loud snore.

Darcy glanced between Erik and Jane before continuing. "Like, Rhodey and Sam are both 100% gorgeous and right, but neither of them have thought to consider what the other has to say before they argue back."

"That's aggravating."

"Right?!" Darcy agreed with a sigh of frustration. "Steve's worried about not being able to go where they're needed; Tony's still trying to punish himself for Ultron. He thinks they—well,  _ he _ —needs oversight, and nobody's hugged him in so long, he's convinced himself that Ross' Accords are what will do it. Somebody has to convince him that that's what the rest of the Avengers are for. Then he's just gotta open up to somebody besides Banner, who I'm sure could talk some sense into him if he was here, and then we could all get on the same page and the next time Secretary of All Douche Canoes shows up. We'd have taken a poll and decided unanimously to punch him in the face."

"You can do it," Jane said.

Darcy stopped pacing so quickly that she nearly fell over. "The who on the what, now?"

"You can explain the implications to Tony. You can get Sam to listen to Rhodey's side of things instead of just repeating his own concerns. You're an expert. You've read more of the Accords than any of them. You could do this. You could unite the Avengers."

Darcy considered this. "Well, I mean... the face-punching poll  _ was _ my idea," she reasoned.

Jane smiled encouragingly. "I believe in you," she said.

Darcy nodded and squared her shoulders. "Yeah. Yeah! I can totally do it! I'm gonna go tackle Tony and then make cookies for Wanda. Maybe that'll get Sam and Rhodey to sit down for five minutes..." 

She wandered out of the lab, muttering ideas for schemes.

Jane watched her go, happy to have done her part to spur Darcy on.

"You may have just averted Civil War," Erik chuckled sleepily as he sat up. "Or if you didn't,  _ she _ will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/174724255208/aversion-efforts)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	11. Damsels Without Distress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane and Darcy aren't damsels. Not if Darcy has anything to say about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I love you.”

Jane sat on the couch in she and Darcy's soon-to-be ex-apartment while Darcy bustled around, packing things in a hurry while trying not to make it  _ look _ like she'd packed things in a hurry.

"I don't want to go," Jane said, fully aware that this feeling, in addition to her sedentary state, was no help at all.

"You've said," Darcy replied, stuffing some half-finished equipment into a box and padding it with some of Jane's flannel shirts. "But Tony is convinced—and I agree—that if we stay, Ross is gonna find some way to use us against Thor. Tony can be an asshole to the Secretary of State all he wants, but do you remember what happened the  _ last _ time a government agency knew exactly where we were and what we were researching?"

Jane stared at the floor. "Yes."

"So we have to go. I don't want you packed off to some government lab to slave against your will. They won't let me go slave with you. And they'll probably restrict your Pop Tart intake, too."

"We can't have that," Jane agreed.

"Right. So just empty whatever's left in your drawer into that big duffel I left next to the dresser. I’ve got our toiletries and stuff in our carryons already."

Jane sighed. "What about Erik?"

"He'll be fine here," Darcy assured her. "Tony promised. One person's a lot easier to protect than three. Plus then we sort of have an ear on the inside. Tony said he'd make sure we had an encrypted line in to Erik, so I'll be able to check on him occasionally. Make sure  _ he's  _ not slaving away in a government lab somewhere, that he's wearing pants, stuff like that."

"Where will we go?" Jane asked, heading toward the bedroom to pack.

"That's classified," Darcy said, as she tossed the top on the box she was packing and went to town with the packing tape.

"Hey, Darcy?"

"Yeah."

"You know I love you, right?"

Darcy paused in the act of reaching for another box. "It'll be okay, Jane," she said, and stepped over to give Jane a quick squeeze. "We'll be safe. We'll be helping the Avengers. And when Thor gets back from space, he won't have to rescue us from anywhere or be blackmailed into supervillainy, because despite our damselness, we will not be in distress."

Jane nodded. 

"You good?" Darcy asked, scrutinizing Jane's face to make sure she was all right. 

Jane let out a sigh, finding it easier to smile after hearing Darcy's assurances. "Yes," she said. "Okay. Let's do this."

Darcy grinned. "I love you too, Janie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/174761530753/damsels-without-distress)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


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